This week, we posted 75 percent of questions from the 2017 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests that count toward student scores on these tests online at EngageNY.org. This is the second year in a row that more questions have been released than in previous years. Each released multiple-choice question includes the question itself and an item map that provides the answer key and the standard(s) measured by the question.

We have also once again released 100 percent of the constructed-response questions from the tests, as well as the scoring materials used by educators to score student responses to these questions. Each released constructed-response (open-ended) question includes the question itself and an item map that provides the standard(s) measured by the question. Like last year, you will also be able to review your child's answers to constructed-response questions.

By June 12, several instructional reports based on the 2017 tests will be made available to districts and schools. The release of these reports during the same school year in which the tests were administered allows schools and districts more time to use this information for summer curriculum writing and professional development activities. You can read more about the release of test questions and instructional reports here.

In other news, last week, we recognized 185 high achieving and high progress schools as Reward Schools. Reward Schools are schools that demonstrate either high academic achievement or the most progress with minimal gaps in student achievement between certain populations of students. Of the 185 identified schools, 127 of them were identified as Reward Schools last year, and 99 have been identified for three consecutive years as Reward Schools.

I want to congratulate all of the Reward Schools for their outstanding achievements and thank the school leaders, teachers, staff, parents, and students for all they do to make their schools so remarkable. You should be proud of your accomplishments!

Each Reward School will receive a certificate of recognition from the Commissioner, and Title I schools may be eligible for a Reward School grant. The Rewards Schools include 79 New York City public schools; 88 public schools in the rest of the State; and 18 public charter schools. You can find the full list of Reward Schools and details about eligibility here.

We are fortunate that New York is home to so many stand-out schools, and I know that there are lots of schools not on this particular list that are doing great things for children. Keep up the good work!

I also want to remind you about New York's draft Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan. We are in the middle of 13 public meetings about the plan - we have already held seven meetings, with six more to go. The next meeting is in Westchester on Monday, June 5, at Lincoln High School in Yonkers, starting at 6 p.m. You can find the full list of public meetings here. If you missed your region's public meeting or cannot attend, we are taking comments on our draft plan at ESSAComments@nysed.gov through June 16. You can find our draft plan, along with a summary of the plan, on our ESSA website: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/essa.html.

Thank you for reading and, as always, thank you for supporting our schools.